Arinze Onuaku walked to his locker, only to find media members waiting for him. He hadn’t changed into his street clothes yet and was still wrapped in his towel, so he had to delay interviews.

But there was reason media claimed a prime spot in front of Syracuse’s center. In Syracuse’s 98-94 overtime thriller against Georgetown, Onuaku emerged from an injury-hampered drought to score 15 points, grab 13 boards and block four shots.

The 6-foot-9 starting center finally looked to be healthy and back to the force that he was before injuring his right knee against Louisville on Jan. 25. Heading into the Orange’s next game at the time, Onuaku was averaging 12.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Since that time, Onuaku has compiled a total of 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Syracuse has gone 1-4. Against the Hoyas Saturday, Onuaku nearly surpassed those marks in one game.

‘Arinze got back,’ head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘He came back and these last four games without him, looking back on it, we probably had no chance to win those games. I’m surprised we beat West Virginia.’

Onuaku re-established his dominance in the post early. He scored SU’s opening bucket and had four points within the first five minutes of play against 6-foot-11 Georgetown center Greg Monroe, one of the nation’s top freshmen.

Onuaku, though, had the decisive weight advantage. He’s listed at 275 pounds and was visibly bulkier than anyone Georgetown could throw at him. Monroe is the heaviest on his team at 250 pounds, meaning Onuaku had at least a 25-pound advantage when backing down defenders in the post. And it showed, as he drained baby hooks over the Hoyas.

‘I mean, going into every game, I really don’t feel like anybody can match up against me,’ Onuaku said. ‘So it’s all about me trying to get position and my teammates finding me. They told me from the beginning they were going to find me.’

Toward the end of the half, Onuaku only scored three more points but still made his presence felt. In the final 10 minutes of the half, the junior center blocked four shots and grabbed five rebounds, three of which came on the offensive end.

In the second half, Onuaku was no different, putting up nearly identical numbers. As he did in the first, Onuaku scored the first basket of the second half that ignited a 9-0 run that gave SU its first double-digit lead of the game. Onuaku contributed four of the nine points and had six of Syracuse’s 13 to begin the second half.

‘He just really wanted the ball, he demanded the ball and knew he was a big presence,’ sophomore forward Rick Jackson said. ‘And he can get it every time and score. … He just got his swagger back basically.’

Onuaku’s governance in the paint created open looks for his teammates, who reaped the benefits. Jackson finished with 13 points and four rebounds, but credited most of his points and rebounds to Onuaku. With Georgetown’s defense dedicated to containing SU’s center, it opened the paint for other big men.

‘It helps a lot because they start doubling him, and I just get open,’ Jackson said. ‘And I just really get my points off of that and rebounds off of that.’

Sometimes Onuaku commanded too much of the paint. Forward Paul Harris found himself fighting his teammate for a couple boards. But they were struggles Harris was happy to deal with.

‘There were a couple times me and him were fighting for rebounds,’ Harris said. ‘I’m like, ‘If me and you are fighting for rebounds, at least I know you’re trying to get it. You’re active.’

‘That’s the Arinze I know, and that’s the Arinze I want to play with. That’s the old Arinze. The last couple games he hasn’t been there, but tonight he came to get it.’

mibonner@syr.edu

Published on February 15, 2009 at 12:00 pm